Regular publication schedule resumes Sunday, February 28.

Coming Soon!

African-American Heritage Month

All-School Assembly 2016

Please join us on Wednesday, February 24,for the African American Heritage Month Assembly featuring Evelyn Louise Crawford and MaryLouise Patterson, editors of the newly published book, Letters from Langston.

Langston Hughes, one of America’s greatest writers, was an innovator of jazz poetry and a leader of the Harlem Renaissance whose poems and plays resonate widely today. Letters from Langston is a collection of correspondence between Hughes and four of his closest African American friends, Louise Thompson Patterson, William L. Patterson, Matt N. Crawford, and Evelyn Graves Crawford. Spanning from 1930 to shortly before Hughes’s death in 1967, this distinctive volume captures stories of friends and family, living in an era of uncertainty and sharing a vision of an idealized world—one without hunger, war and oppression.

Crawford and Patterson will share stories of their memories of Hughes (or Uncle Lang, as they called him) and other African American luminaries such as activist/actor Paul Robeson and artist Elizabeth Catlett. The assembly will also feature a very special performance by our St. James’ students.

There will be copies of the book available for sale during the assembly. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to St. James’.

It's sure to be an afternoon to remember. You won’t want to miss it!

African-American Heritage Month

Skate Night 2016

Skaters get entrance, skate rental, meal, and t-shirt while supplies last. Chaperones get entrance and meal. Additional t-shirts are available at $20 each. Place your order by Sunday, February 21, to be guaranteed a shirt!

Classical Piano Concert

a PartyBook Event

Husky Cup Golf Classic

a PartyBook Event

A day of golf followed by a St. James’ family dinner at M Grill. More information on the Husky Cup website. Proceeds benefit St. James’ literacy initiatives.

This event will feature a $100,000 hole-in-one contest, and there are prizes for the classes with the most sponsorships and the most golfers. Sign up now!

Featured Article

St. James’ Dance Program Collaborates with UCLA Visual and Performing Arts Education Department!

by Laurel Butler, Dance Teacher

For the past few weeks, there's been a new face in Ms. Laurel's dance class: Alyssa Scott (pictured at right), a sophomore in the World Arts and Cultures/Dance program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Alyssa has been observing the St. James’ dance program as part of her work as a student in the Visual and Performing Arts Education (VAPAE) program at UCLA.

UCLA students who minor in VAPAE are the next generation of teaching artists and artist-educators in our community, and St. James’ is thrilled to be in partnership with VAPAE this spring: Not only will Alyssa be guest-teaching with the 6th-graders (teaching some very exciting contemporary choreography), but Ms. Laurel will also be joining the VAPAE faculty as a lecturer, teaching an undergraduate course on arts education for multiple publics.

We are looking forward to a rich collaboration with UCLA, and are excited to welcome Alyssa to the St. James Dance Program!

Announcements

Lent Soup Cups

As you know, the Lenten season began on Wednesday, February 10. Tradition holds that we are to “give up” something for Lent as we look to simplify our lives and focus own on renewing our spiritual relationships. At St. James’, we have taken the tradition in slightly different direction, as we focus not only on ourselves, but also on the needs of others.

During our Ash Wednesday All-School Chapel service, Mrs. David talked about that tradition: the Lent Soup Cups. Yesterday, your student brought home one of those cups. The idea is that instead of giving up one particular thing, we look for opportunities to give up different things while thinking of others. In other words, if a student has money to spend on a treat, like candy or a snack, instead of spending that money on himself or herself, he or she would put the money in the cup, thinking about those who are not as fortunate as we, who do not have extra money to spend on “treats.” This also gives students the chance to reflect on what we have and to focus on the many ways to help others. Added up over time, the cup has the potential to be filled with quite a bit of money, which will then go to help the food ministries of our parish, the Soup Kitchen and the Food Pantry.

Please talk to your students about the cup and listen to what they have to say about what it means. Also, please be sure the younger ones understand that they are to give the money, not the actual treat itself. Our first year, we had a few cups come back filled with gummy bears. While cute as all get-out, that’s not really practical. We are asking that the cups be returned by Friday, March 18.

Many thanks to you for your help and support. Have a blessed Lenten season as we look forward to the promise of Easter. If you have any questions, please contact Service Learning Program Coordinator Rob Krueger.

Shop@SJS: Crewneck Sweatshirts

A brand-new bit of St. James’ apparel with an awesome new logo is now available from Shop@SJS, a program run by the St. James’ Parent Association. Shirts ordered this week will be delivered in the first week of March. Place your order now!

Reminders

Upcoming Author Visit: Oliver Chin

We are very excited for a visit on Friday, February 26, from acclaimed author Oliver Chin, whose works include an annual series titled Tales from the Chinese Zodiac and Baltazar and the Flying Pirates. Mr. Chin will address our Kindergarteners, 1st-graders, and 2nd-graders in St. James’ Hall at 1:30 p.m. and will visit our preschool classes at 2:30 p.m.

For autographed copies of Mr. Chin's books, complete the order form and return it, with payment, to your child's classroom teacher by Monday, February 22. Late orders may be unable to be filled.

Charity Cycling to Support Preschool Teacher Debra Clark

Saturday, February 27 • 5:30 p.m.Cycle House West HollywoodSign Up Now

From Agnieszka Marchel, Butterflies Teacher – As some of you may already know, Tigers teacher Debra Clark has is on a leave of absence to care for her husband. We already have a fund in place to support her, but I thought of a more interactive, fun way of getting her some support: a charity spin class at Cycle House in West Hollywood! As many of you know, I am a HUGE devotee to the spin life at CH, but the thing that initially drew me to this place was the devotion of the staff and owners to altruistic practices. When I was thinking of ways I could help Debra, I knew that setting up a charity ride at Cycle House was the way to go.

Please consider joining faculty, staff, and parents in cycling to support Debra. Sign up online; the cost is $50 per bike, and all proceeds benefit Debra and Kenny.

Keeping Healthy: Reminders from Nurse Basham

MedicationThe school MUST have written authorization from a parent or guardian to administer any prescription medication while at school. The medication must be in its original container labeled by the pharmacy. The label must include name of student, name of drug, directions concerning dosage, time of day to be taken, name of prescribing physician, and date of prescription. Medications should be brought to the Health Room by an adult, not a child. A prescribed asthma inhaler may be kept by the student and self-administered only if the physician indicates this need in writing and considers the student capable of doing so. The School Nurse will administer over-the-counter medication if written parental permission has been given.

Remember the 24-hour Rule!Students may return to school after the following:

24 hours without temperature (and without taking fever reducing medications such as Tylenol or Advil/Motrin)

If your child still seems tired, pale, with little appetite, not tolerating solid foods, and generally "not him/herself," please do not send them to school. Some viral illnesses may take longer before your child is well enough to return to school.